Success Stories

ORGANIC THERAPY PROGRAM WINS TEDxChallenge

TEDxManhattan announced on Dec. 19, 2011 that CVI’s Veterans Food Production Program (We call it the Organic Therapy Program) won 57% of the votes among five finalists nominated to give a TED Lecture on Jan. 21, 2012 in New York City. The TEDx focus is on “changing the way we eat.” Peer-to-Peer OTP Mentor Howard Hinterthuer, who also serves as our Communications Coordinator, traveled to Manhattan via Amtrak last week to deliver the address.

Howard has this to say about the opportunity, “I have to acknowledge I’m standing on the shoulders of OTP Founder William Sims, plus K’uu Wamubu and Mike LaForest who play key roles in getting the guys into the garden. It is no small coincidence that three of us are Vietnam Vets. We know a bit about what it’s like to come home from combat then struggle to find strategies to deal with the changes. Hopefully we can help facilitate the homecoming of Americans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. We’ve seen this program work.”

A YouTube video of the presentation is slated to appear soon. Check back here to see the clip.